Summary

Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high-schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great-until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts.

Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: He is Weirlind; part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game-a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir.

As if his bizarre magical heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he's not just another member of Weirlind-he's one of the last of the warriors-at a time when both houses are scouting for a player.

Author Notes

Cinda Williams Chima was born in Springfield, Ohio in 1952. She received a BA in philosophy from the University of Akron in 1975 and a master's degree in nutrition from Case Western Reserve University in 1984. Before becoming a full-time author, she was a freelance contributor to numerous local and regional publications focusing on health-related topics and was an assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Akron. She writes the Heir Chronicles and the Seven Realms series. Her title The Enchanter Heir made The New York Times Best Seller List and her title Stitching Snow made The Young New Adult Titles List. Flamecaster, book 1 in Chima's Shattered Realms Series, made the New York Times bestseller list in 2016.

Publisher's Weekly Review

An eons-old conflict meets teenage drama in newcomer Chima's engaging but somewhat derivative fantasy. Sixteen-year-old Jack, who nearly died as an infant, maintains a strict daily medicine regimen-but one day he accidentally misses his dose, and that afternoon at soccer practice he injures a fellow player without even touching him. Shortly thereafter, Jack's aunt Linda drags him on a hunt for information about his great-great-grandmother, for reasons she won't disclose. Aunt Linda, it turns out, is an enchanter, one player in an underground magical battle between the wizard houses of the Red Rose and White Rose. Jack too is one of the Weirflesh-the magical beings that live among modern-day humans-inheriting a "gift [that] is passed from generation to generation in a kind of stone or crystal that sits behind the heart." The houses wage an endless Hatfield-and-McCoy-like duel for control of the magical community, but the number of qualified wizards to play the game diminishes with each generation-making Jack a hot commodity (and his great-great-grandmother's grave contains the sword that Jack is to use in battle). Intrigue in the first half of the story gives way to arena action toward the end. The concept of a "wizard war" may be well worn, and character names such as Nicodemus Snowbeard could likely produce a giggle with long-time fantasy readers, but Potter fans looking for a new fantasy/mystery fix may well relish this tale. Ages 10-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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